The Border Command (Comandos de la Frontera – CDF) is a Colombian criminal group that emerged in 2017. It was formed through a criminal alliance between dissidents from the 32nd and 48th fronts of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) and members of the Constru, a criminal organization that emerged in 2006 from the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia – AUC).
The Border Command is primarily engaged in drug trafficking in the departments of Putumayo, Caqueta, Amazonas, Cauca, and Nariño. In these territories, the group controls coca-growing areas and oversees the transportation of cocaine and marijuana shipments to departure points in Ecuador and Brazil. To maintain control and counter its rivals, the group enforces strict social measures, including illegal roadblocks, targeted assassinations of social leaders, curfews, and general threats directed at the population.
History
The Border Commandos originated in 2017 in the southern department of Putumayo, shortly after the signing of peace accords between the FARC and the Colombian government.
They were initially known as the Mafia, an alliance between dissident elements of the FARC’s former 48th and 32nd fronts and a criminal group known as the Constru, which was designed to revive drug trafficking in Putumayo. The dissident factions were responsible for protecting coca crops and cocaine processing labs, while the Constru handled international contacts for negotiating shipments, according to sources on the ground who spoke to InSight Crime.
For the first few years, violence remained controlled. In fact, residents across different municipalities in Putumayo told InSight Crime that they felt a certain sense of peace in the area.
However, thi all changed in 2018. The First Front – also known as the Carolina Ramírez Front, a group associated with the Central General Staff (Estado Mayor Central – EMC) of the ex-FARC Mafia – moved into the region from the neighboring department of Caquetá. This led to a dispute between the Mafia and the Carolina Ramírez Front, which is ongoing.
In 2020, the Mafia rebranded and became known as the Border Command.
Since then, the group has become the dominant criminal actor in Putumayo, extending its reach into the departments of Cauca, Nariño, Caquetá, and Amazonas.
In an October 2022 video, the group expressed its willingness to join President Gustavo Petro’s flagship “Total Peace” policy. The Border Command broke with the Second Marquetalia in November 2024 over disagreements on negotiations with the government. However, the group and the government have not entered into any official talks.
Leadership
In its early days, the group was led by Pedro Oberman Goyes, alias “Sinaloa,” who was killed by some of his fellow members in March 2019. Following his death, leadership passed to Miguel Antonio Bastidas Bravo, alias “Gargola,” head of the Constru,until his capture in 2019.
The group is currently commanded by Giovanny Andres Rojas, alias “Araña.”
According to data from Colombian’s Attorney General’s Office, the Border Command has approximately 1,000 fighters spread across its territories. Due to the diverse ideological backgrounds of its members, internal divisions occasionally threaten the group’s stability, according to sources InSight Crime consulted within international organizations present in Putumayo.
Allies and Enemies
Since its inception, the Border Command has been allied with the Constru. Sources in Putumayo told InSight Crime that while the Constru maintains a presence in urban areas, the Border Command exerts control over rural areas.
The group had an alliance with the Segunda Marquetalia, a faction of the ex-FARC Mafia led by Luciano Marin, alias “Iván Márquez.” The political connection strengthened the Border Command in potential peace talks with the government. However, the alliance fractured in November 2024 over disagreements on negotiations with the government.
The Carolina Ramirez Front is the Border Command’s main rival with ongoing clashes in southern Colombia for control of key international drug trafficking corridors.
Geography
The Border Command’’ main area of operation is in lower Putumayo, specifically in the municipalities of Orito, San Miguel, Valle del Guamuéz, and Puerto Guzmán, on the border with Ecuador. It also operates across the Ecuadorian side of the border in Sucumbíos province, where Ecuadorian authorities have found camps and propaganda alluding to the group.
Beyond Putumayo, the Border Command has expanded into the departments of Caquetá – specifically to the municipalities of Cartagena del Chairá, El Paujíl, La Montañita, Solano – and some municipalities in the departments of Cauca, Nariño, and Amazonas. The group has even pushed into Colombia’s Amazon and into Peru.
Prospects
The Border Command is one of southern Colombia’s most powerful criminal groups. Its position in the department of Putumayo, one of the country’s top coca-growing regions, provides it with significant influence over the drug trafficking supply chain.
The group is still waiting for a negotiating line to emerge within the framework of the Total Peace plan between the Second Marquetalia and the Colombian government. But while its future is uncertain, the group continues to fight its old enemies in the Carolina Ramírez Front. This battle is more alive now than ever and has exacerbated violence in certain areas of Putumayo and Caquetá.